Life Changes
by luxfan
Summary: More complete summary inside. Brooke was pregnant in high school. She gave the baby up for adoption. Sixteen years later her daughter finds her and ends up in her custody. Kind of a combination of OTH and LUX
1. Prologue

**Story Info:**

This is kind of a combination of OTH and LUX. It's different from othlvr16's Father Unexpected (which is really good). In season 1 when Brooke thought she was pregnant with Lucas' baby, she was. They gave the baby up for adoption. Sixteen years later, their daughter finds Brooke because she needs their signatures to get emancipated. Instead of getting emancipated, she ends up in Brooke's custody. Brooke is engaged to Julian. Lucas won't be a big part of this story. He, Peyton and Sawyer are traveling the world.

**Main Characters:**

Brooke: Brooke owns Clothes Over Bros and it is doing well. She's engaged to Julian. They met when he was in town producing Ravens. The only difference is that Sam wasn't around.

Julian: Julian owns his own production company in Tree Hill.

Sam: Sam is Brooke's daughter. Her personality is a combination of Sam's personality and Lux's personality (from LUX). Sam and Lux are pretty similar in my opinion. They're both sarcastic, rebellious and grew up in foster care because their parents didn't want them.

Jack: Jack is Sam's best friend. He's in foster care.

Tom: Tom is Sam's boyfriend. He's loosely based on Bug (from LUX). He grew up in foster care. He's an eighteen year old high school drop out. He has his own apartment.

Haley: Haley still got pregnant with Jamie senior year of high school. She's happily married to Nathan. She teaches English Literature at Tree Hill High School.

Nathan: He retired from the NBA and is coaching basketball.

Jamie: Jamie is about two years younger than Sam so he's 14. He's a lot like Lucas was in high school.

**Prologue:**

**Brooke POV:**

This can't be happening. I can't be pregnant right now. I'm still in high school.

I park my car near the river court. I know I'll find Lucas here. I don't want to see him. I really don't want to talk to him ever again, but I know I have to tell him.

I loved him and he cheated on me with my best friend, Peyton Sawyer. He's now my ex-boyfriend and Peyton's now my ex-best friend. The anger and hurt are still raw as I walk to the bench Lucas is sitting on.

"I need to talk to you," I say.

"OK," Lucas replies.

"I think I'm pregnant," I blurt out.

"What do you mean think?" Lucas asks.

"I mean I'm late," I reply. I look at him meaningfully for emphasis. "Like late."

"Did you take a test?" Lucas asks.

I shake my head.

Lucas gets up and moves closer to me. We used to be so close. Now I don't want to be on the same planet as him.

"Look, we have to know. Maybe it's just a false alarm, you know? Come on. The drug store is still open. We'll do it together," Lucas says.

I nod. Just a week ago I didn't think we'd ever do anything together again. Now we're doing something that could change both of our lives forever together.

I take the pregnancy test in the bathroom while Lucas waits in my bedroom. I sit down on the toilet seat and wait for the indicator to change. I don't want to wait in my room with Lucas. The indicator finally changes. I hold my breath as I look at it. It's positive. I don't know what to do. No matter what I do nothing will ever be the same again.

I can't believe this. I never thought I would be one of those girls who got knocked up by some loser in high school. I'm Brooke Davis.

I walk out of the bathroom and show the pregnancy test to Lucas.

"It's positive," he says.

"My God. I'm pregnant," I manage to say in between sobs.

"Come on. I know you're still mad at me, OK? But I'm here for you. We'll go to the doctor in the city tomorrow. I'll take you," Lucas says. Of course I'm still mad at him. He cheated on me with my best friend! He just expects me to get over it and play nice. He makes me so mad!

"I'll take myself," I say. I'm not going anywhere with him.

"I'm just as scared as you are, OK? But I want to help," Lucas says. I don't want his help. He's the last person I would accept anything from right now.

I go to the doctor by myself the next day. I hate being alone. My parents are never home so I spend more than my fair share of time alone. This is something I never thought I would have to do alone. I've never felt more alone before in my life.

Lucas is waiting outside the clinic after my appointment. "So what happened?"

"The nurse said she'd call me with the results," I reply. I don't have anything else to say to him.

Later Lucas finds me at school and asks me for the hundredth time if I've heard from the nurse. I haven't. We start fighting. We can't be civil to each other anymore. I can't forgive him and he doesn't understand that.

My phone rings and we both fall silent. I answer it. "Yeah, this is Brooke." Lucas doesn't take his eyes off me as I listen to the nurse on the other end of the line. "OK. Thank you." I hang up and lock eyes with Lucas. "Trust me, it's yours."

"Look, don't shut me out of this, OK? We can deal with it together," Lucas says.

"We're not together, remember? You dodged the bullet just in time," I say.


	2. Chapter 1

**SIXTEEN YEARS LATER…**

**Sam POV:**

I've known who my birth parents are for exactly one week. It all started when I told my case worker, Fern, that I wanted to get emancipated.

"_Fern, I'm going to get emancipated," I said._

_Fern sighed. "In my opinion, you will not be able to meet approval for independent living."_

"_I can take care of myself. I've been taking care of myself," I argued._

"_You've been living in a foster home," Fern said._

"_The foster home…it's not so good," I said. This is the understatement of the year. _

"_There is a chance of someone adopting you," Fern said. This is what everyone says to foster kids. When you're young, you believe them. As you grow up in the foster care system, you learn quickly that it's a lie. _

_Prospective foster parents who actually want kids always want babies. There are these waiting lists for newborns. If they don't want to wait, they pick the youngest kid in the group home. I was only three when I went to the group home and no one ever wanted me. The foster parents who just want a government check every month or a live-in babysitter for their real kids are the ones who choose older kids like me. If you're lucky, it's kind of like you're invisible. They cash the checks and you take care of yourself. If you're not so lucky, you get slapped around and you take care of yourself. Either way you have to take care of yourself because no one else will. No one ever wants you. No one ever cares about you. You will never have a family. _

"_Everyone wants the puppy. No one wants the mutt," I said._

"_I can see how determined you are. You'll need to file with the court for a hearing. You'll also need your birth parents to sign a permanent release of their parental rights." Fern handed me the contact information for the court as well two blank forms._

_I smiled. "Thanks Fern."_

I've been hanging onto the forms for seven days. I don't want to talk to my birth parents. They didn't want me. I wasn't good enough for them. I don't know if I can face them.

I always wanted to tell them who I am and show them that they made the biggest mistake of their lives when they gave me up. Now that I know who they are, I know that they won't think they made a mistake at all. My birth parents are leading picture perfect lives. They are perfectly happy without me.

My birth dad is Lucas Scott. Lucas is a published author. My birth mom is Brooke Davis. Brooke is a beautiful and famous fashion designer. I've spent the better part of the last week lurking in her store, Clothes Over Bros, trying to work up the courage to talk to her.

I have to do it today. My emancipation hearing is scheduled for two days from now. As much as I don't want to talk to my birth parents, I need to get the forms signed or I'll have to spend another two years in foster care.

I push open the door of Clothes Over Bros and approach the counter. Brooke is talking to someone. She's busy. I should probably come back later. I know I'm making an excuse to avoid the conversation I've been dreading but that doesn't stop me from turning for the door. I'm chicken. I can admit it.

"Hi Sam."

I freeze when I hear my name. Crap! I fight the urge to run away and never look back. I tell myself this will all be over soon. I just have to ask for Brooke's signature and then I'll never have to see her again.

You know that feeling you get when you have to do something you're scared of like public speaking? That's exactly how I feel right now. I feel like it's really hot in the store. I feel like I'm going to be sick to my stomach. My body is literally shaking I'm so nervous. I try to take deep breaths as I turn back to Brooke.

My English Literature teacher, Mrs. Haley Scott, is smiling at me. I didn't recognize her as the woman talking to Brooke because her back was turned away from me when I first walked into the store. "Hi Mrs. Scott."

"One of your students?" Brooke asks with raised eyebrows.

Haley nods. "Sam, this is Brooke Davis."

This is going to be awkward. It was always going to be awkward to meet my birth mom, but meeting her in front of my teacher is even more awkward. I walk over to them and look at Brooke. "Actually I was looking for you."

Brooke smiles. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm your daughter," I blurt out. Crap! Did I just say that? That's not how I planned for this conversation to go. I just panicked and my mind went completely blank. I couldn't remember what I wanted to say.

Brooke just stares at me. I wish the floor would open up and swallow me whole. I want to be anywhere but here right now.

**Brooke POV:**

I've changed a lot since high school. I'm a successful business owner. I want to be a mom. I've actually been thinking about adopting a baby.

I never thought the daughter I gave up would find me, but I'm so glad she did. I stare at her in shock. She's so big.

"I'm applying for emancipation. I need you to sign this form." Sam hands me a piece of paper.

"Emancipation from your parents?" I ask. I don't understand why she would want emancipation from her parents. I think of Peyton's adoptive dad, Larry. He's a really good dad unlike mine.

"I don't have parents. I'm applying for emancipation from foster care," Sam replies.

"You weren't adopted?" I ask. This is even more shocking than Sam showing up in my store out of the blue.

"No," Sam replies.

"I don't understand. The adoption agency told me there were waiting lists for newborns," I say.

"There are waiting lists for newborns. I was born with a hole in my heart. I'm fine now, but I was in the hospital until I was almost three. No one wanted a three year old. Everyone wants the puppy. No one wants the mutt," Sam explains.

OK, now I feel terrible. I had the world's worst parents. My father ignored me completely. My mother resented me _and _ignored me. I always felt alone. I hate being alone. I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone, especially my daughter.

"I'm sorry. I was sure you'd be adopted. I wanted you to have good parents," I say.

"Parents are overrated." Sam tries to act like she doesn't care, but I can hear the pain in her voice.

"It's not a bad thing to have someone who worries about you. It's nice to have someone to talk to," I say.

"Can you just sign the form?" Sam asks.

I reluctantly tear my gaze from my daughter to the piece of paper she handed me. I skim it. "Sam, you're fifteen years old. How are you going to take care of yourself?"

Sam rolls her eyes. "Almost sixteen. And I can take care of myself. I've _been_ taking care of myself."

"I know you can, but you shouldn't have to right now," I say.

"I've been without a mom for fifteen years. I don't need one now," Sam says. I know she has every right to be angry with me, but that doesn't mean her words hurt any less.

I don't want to sign the form. I want to talk her out of this, but when I look in her eyes all I see is anger. I know she's not going to listen to a word I say. I sign the form and hand it to Sam.

"Now if you can just give me Lucas Scott's number, that would be great," Sam says as she folds the signed form and stuffs it into her backpack.

"You're looking for Lucas, too?" I ask.

"I'm comprised of half his gene pool. I need to get his signature, too," Sam says.

Crap! First of all, Lucas is traveling the world with Peyton and Sawyer right now. Second of all, if you think I'm having a hard time with this, you haven't seen anything yet. Lucas is going to feel even worse than I feel and I feel terrible.

"He's out of the country," I say.

"My emancipation hearing is the day after tomorrow. If I don't get these signatures-both signatures-I'm stuck being bounced around crappy foster homes for another two years and getting slapped around, which, to be blunt, blows!" Sam says. I can sense her desperation.

"You could always fax him the form." Haley speaks up for the first time since Sam told me who she is.

"I'll call him," I say. I excuse myself and go to the back so I can have some privacy.

**Sam POV:**

"Sam, you're fifteen years old. There has to be something better out there for you," Haley Scott says. I think she actually believes what she's saying, but I know it's not true. There isn't anything better in foster care. There's just bad and worse.

"You're nice, but I'm not your problem. I'm not anyone's problem," I say. I'm really not looking forward to seeing her in class. Now she knows everything about me. She knows that no one wanted me, not even my own parents. It's embarrassing to say the least.

I pick up my backpack and head back to find Brooke. She doesn't hear the door shut behind me. I overhear part of her conversation with my birth dad. She has him on speakerphone.

"So she's been in the foster care system for fifteen years? That's just great, Brooke. I would've taken care of her," Lucas says.

"That's not fair, and you know it. We decided to give her up for adoption together," Brooke says. She notices me standing in the doorway and stops talking abruptly.

I really wanted to hear Lucas' response, but I know that's not going to happen. Now I'll never know if Lucas really wanted me.

"Sam, where's the form you need Lucas to sign?" Brooke asks. I pull the blank form out of my bag and hand it to her. She faxes it to Lucas.

I stand next to Brooke waiting for Lucas to fax the form back. I can feel her gaze on me. Didn't anyone ever tell her it's rude to stare? I don't have parents and even I know that.

"You look sort of like me," Brooke comments.

"I'll take that as a compliment," I say.

"You better." Brooke smirks. She locks eyes with me. "Do you need anything else?"

"No," I reply.

"You can come to me if you need anything," Brooke says.

"Like I said, I can take care of myself," I say. The fax machine beeps and the form comes through. I grab it and put it in my backpack. I leave Clothes Over Bros with what I came there for.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I know this chapter is short and a little boring. It's the emancipation hearing. It will get better after this. The next chapter will have Brooke/Sam bonding and after that there will be some drama in store for Sam.**

**Sam POV:**

"I see you turn sixteen tomorrow," the judge says.

"Yeah, and I'll be able to be emancipated. Get a job," I reply.

"Is this your case worker here?" The judge nods toward Fern.

"Yes. I haven't been with Sam long. She tends to change hands a lot," Fern replies.

"Yes, I see that. You've been in seven different foster homes," the judge says.

"That's not really my fault," I say.

"Oh, and whose is it? Surely you're not saying it's the seven different families who've tried to take you in?" The judge says.

"I wanted a good home. The State of North Carolina just hasn't been able to provide me with one," I say. If you think I'm exaggerating, think again. I've lived with drunks, perverts and once I even lived with drug dealers.

"You have no permanent address as of today?" The judge asks.

"As soon as I'm emancipated, there's a studio not far from my school," I say. This is a lie. My boyfriend, Tom, is eighteen and has an apartment. My plan is to live with him and my best friend, Jack. I'm not stupid, though. I know telling the judge I'm going to move in with my boyfriend won't help my case.

"You are going to afford an apartment? On what income?" The judge asks.

"I have three thousand dollars in the bank," I reply.

"Who is going to co-sign your rental agreement?" The judge asks.

"That's the point of getting emancipated! I won't need anyone to co-sign!" I say. She knows just as well as I do that there is no one to co-sign. Why'd she even bother asking? If I had someone to co-sign, I probably wouldn't be here.

The judge shakes her head. "No landlord is going to rent to a minor."

"I'll co-sign." I spin around and see Brooke standing just behind me. I'm surprised she came. I thought the first time I spoke to her would be the last time I ever saw her.

"Who is this?" The judge asks.

"She's my birth mom," I reply.

The judge skims my file. "Miss, you own your own business?"

"Yes," Brooke replies.

"Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott are still legally your parents," the judge says.

"Actually they're not. I had the forms signed," I say quickly.

"Those signatures were neither witnessed nor notarized. I'm going to be very straight with you. I am not granting you emancipation. You have no income. You have no permanent residence. You filed a fee waiver in order to cover your court cost. I'm releasing you into the temporary custody of Brooke Davis."

How could this happen? I went to court to get emancipated from foster care and I ended up released into Brooke's custody. She didn't want me. She gave me up! How can the judge just release me into her custody? I can't believe this. I storm out of the courtroom.

**Brooke POV:**

I'm just as surprised as Sam is that the judge released her into my custody. I want this, though. Apparently Sam doesn't. She storms out of the courtroom looking pissed off.

I follow her. "Sam!"

She doesn't stop. I catch up to her and grab her arm to stop her. "Where are you going?" I ask.

"You don't want me. I'm going back to foster care," Sam replies.

"Sam…"

"Let me go! You did it once before. It shouldn't be that hard to do it again," Sam says.

"You were released into my custody. You're not going anywhere unless it's home with me," I say. I even surprise myself by sounding authoritative. I'm not mad. I know I'm not her favorite person and I don't blame her. I just know if I let her she'll take off and I can't let that happen. First of all, the judge did release her into my custody so I'm responsible for her. Second of all, I want to take care of her.

"You didn't want me before! Why do you want me now?" Sam cries out.

"I was in high school. I wouldn't have been a good mom. I wanted you to have good parents. I've changed a lot since then. I want to do this. I'm here for you now whatever you need," I say.

Sam shakes her head. "I don't need this."

"I know this is out of the blue. I'm surprised, too. I'm trying, though. I need you to try, too. What do you say?" I say.

Sam doesn't say anything, but she does follow me to my car. It's a start.

I take Sam home. "This is it," I say as I open the front door. I open the door to my guest room and turn the lights on. "This is your room."

Sam looks around. "I've never had my own room before."

I smile. This is the first time I've seen my daughter happy. As I leave her to unpack I say, "No boys."


	4. Chapter 3

**Sam POV:**

"Sam, breakfast!"

Brooke's voice wakes me up. I get up and go out to the kitchen. Brooke smiles as I sit down. "Happy birthday!"

"I can't believe you remembered. No one ever remembers," I say.

"I was there, too, Sam." Brooke smirks. "My parents always forgot my birthday."

After breakfast I get ready for school. Brooke gives me a ride and tells me she'll pick me up after school. "Don't you have to work?" I ask.

"I own my own company. I gave myself the day off," Brooke replies.

I walk toward Tree Hill High School, but as soon as Brooke's car is gone, I turn around and head to my boyfriend's apartment in the rundown part of Tree Hill.

I knock on the door and Tom opens it. I don't know what to expect. He knows my emancipation hearing was yesterday. I was going to move in here. That was the plan. I don't know if he'll be mad that it didn't go according to plan.

"Where the hell have you been? Tom asks.

I think he's mad, but he surprises me by breaking into a grin. He pulls me to him and kisses me. Tom is tall with an athletic build and dirty blonde hair. He has barbed wire tattooed on his biceps and a tongue ring. He's good looking in a dangerous way.

Tom retrieves a bouquet of flowers from the kitchen counter and hands it to me. "Happy birthday."

"Hey Sam. Happy birthday," Jack says.

Jack and I met in a group home when we were little kids.

_I was sitting on a bench in the playground behind Tree Hill Group Home. Jack's case worker brought him outside and told him he could play. He was new. He just stood there._

"_Hi. I'm Sam," I said._

"_I'm Jack," Jack replied. "When is my mom going to come back to get me?"_

"_She probably isn't," I told him. Jack's face fell. I felt bad, but it's better not to get your hopes up. I wish someone had told me the truth. I smiled at him. "Do you want to do a crossword puzzle with me?"_

We've been friends ever since. Jack is like a brother to me.

It's been almost a year since Jack introduced me to Tom. They were foster brothers for about a year. Jack was thirteen and Tom was sixteen at the time.

The day Tom turned eighteen he got the hell out of foster care. He moved out of the foster home he'd been in. He dropped out of school so he could get a job to afford an apartment.

His apartment is small and barren with a mattress as the sole piece of furniture. It's all he can afford. It leaves a lot to be desired, but it's more of a home to me than any of the foster homes I've been in. For Jack and I, Tom's apartment is our sanctuary whenever we run away from foster care, which is often. Jack's been crashing at Tom's for nearly a month.

We all sit down on the mattress and they look at me waiting for an explanation.

"Emancipation denied," I tell them.

"So you're back at the pound?" Jack asks.

I shake my head. "The judge released me into my birth mom's custody."

"The same mom who gave you up the first time around? How can the judge put you back into her custody?" Tom asks incredulously.

"We can go get your stuff. You can move in here like we planned. You don't have to stay with her," Jack says.

"I don't know," I say. I know Brooke gave me up, but she's still my real mom. I want to get to know her.

Jack and Tom won't understand how I feel. Neither of them wants anything to do with their parents. I can't say I blame them. Their parents are terrible. At least they've always known who their parents are, though. I've always wanted to know. I have so many questions that only Brooke can answer. Why didn't they want me? Why wasn't I good enough?

"You said you wanted to get emancipated. You said you wanted to move in here," Jack says.

"I know. Look, for the first time in my life I feel like somebody wants me so I want to stay at Brooke's," I admit.

I hang out with Tom and Jack until it's almost time for school to let out. I have to go back because Brooke is picking me up.

**Brooke POV:**

I spent the entire day throwing things together for Sam's birthday. I baked a cake. I'm not sure how good it is, but it's the thought that counts, right? I got Sam some clothes from Clothes Over Bros. Lucas asked me to get her a laptop from him. He would have gotten it himself, but it wouldn't get here in time. He talked to Haley and she told him that Sam's a really good writer. He thought she could use a laptop to write. Peyton had a connection in the music industry deliver concert tickets as her gift for Sam.

Sam is waiting in front of Tree Hill High School when I get there. She gets in the car. I notice she has a bouquet of flowers.

"Who are the flowers from?" I ask.

"My boyfriend," Sam replies. My sixteen year old daughter has a boyfriend that I didn't know about. I don't know anything about her.

"Wow. Does this boyfriend have a name?" I ask.

"Tom," Sam replies.

I raise my eyebrows. "Tom…?"

"Tom Guthrie," Sam says. "You're dating Julian Baker, right?"

I raise my eyebrows in silent question. How does she know about Julian?

"What? I lived in foster homes, not under a rock. I do read magazines, you know." Sam smirks.

She must have seen pictures of Julian and me in a tabloid. We've managed to keep our engagement quiet, though. "Actually we're engaged."

"Congratulations," Sam says.

"Thanks Sam. What's your favorite store?" I ask.

Sam tells me and I drive to her favorite store.

"Brooke, I can't go in here. The salesperson kind of hates me," Sam says.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because the salesperson caught me shoplifting," Sam admits.

"Shoplifting Sam!" I yell. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I don't know," Sam says.

"No more stealing," I say sternly. I'm channeling Haley because I really don't know what I'm doing in the mom department. I didn't have the best example.

"OK," Sam replies. That was surprisingly easy. She's actually listening to me. Maybe this won't be so hard after all.

"Come on. I can handle the salesperson," I say.

We start walking through the store. "Pick out whatever you want and I'll get it for you," I tell her.

"You don't have to spend this much on me," Sam says.

"I want to," I reply. I smirk. "I'd rather buy it than have you steal it." Sam smiles.

"My best friend, Peyton, and I always went to my favorite store on my birthday. I would pick out what I wanted and she'd get it for me," I tell Sam. I leave out the fact that Peyton always stole my present. I'm trying to set a good example.

Sam picks out some clothes and I get them for her.

"Thanks," Sam says.

"I was thinking we should go out to dinner tonight to celebrate. What do you want?" I ask.

"Pizza," Sam replies.

I take her to a pizza parlor. When we get home, I call Julian to come over.

"Hi Boyfriend," I greet him when he comes in.

"Hi Girl I Love," Julian replies. He looks at Sam. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks. Congratulations on the engagement. That's so cool that you guys are getting married," Sam says.

I get Sam's birthday cake out of the refrigerator. After we eat, I bring Sam's presents out to the kitchen table. I can tell she's surprised that the clothes we got earlier weren't her only presents. I may have gone overboard, but I missed fifteen birthdays. Sam deserves to have a really good birthday and I'm going to make sure she does.

**Sam POV:**

I've never gotten anything for my birthday before. None of my foster parents ever gave me anything. Jack always remembers and tells me happy birthday, but he can never afford to get me anything.

Most kids look forward to their birthdays all year. They ask for video games or jewelry. I hate my birthday. It's the day my birth parents gave me up. Every year my birthday is a reminder that I wasn't good enough for them and I'm not good enough for anyone else. I don't ask for anything because I know no one cares enough to get it for me.

This has been the best birthday of my life, which isn't saying much because I haven't had any good birthdays. This has been the best day of my life period. Brooke not only remembered my birthday, but also went overboard trying to make it a good day.

I thought the clothes I picked out in my favorite store were my presents, but Brooke brings several wrapped packages to the table after we finish eating birthday cake.

She hands me the gifts that are from her first. "I got you some clothes from Clothes Over Bros."

I unwrap several tops and dresses. Brooke probably spent more on these clothes than all of the clothes in my closet combined cost. "You got all these for me?"

"Yeah," Brooke replies.

"Thanks," I say.

"Of course," she replies.

"Open mine next," Julian says. He hands me a wrapped gift. It's an HD flipcam. He opens the box and turns the flipcam on.

"What are you doing?" I ask as he starts filming me.

"What does it look like?" He smirks.

"That better not end up on YouTube," I say.

Brooke hands me a large package. It's surprisingly heavy. "And this is from Lucas."

I can't believe Lucas got me something. I've never even met him. I unwrap the box and gasp in shock. He got me laptop.

"Haley told him you're a good writer. You got that from him," Brooke says. She hands me an envelope. "And this is from Peyton."

"Your best friend, right?" I ask.

Brooke nods. "And Lucas' wife. They have a daughter. Her name is Sawyer."

I open the envelope and pull concert tickets out. It's for one of my favorite bands. "I love them."

The phone rings. "That's probably Lucas. He's calling to tell you happy birthday." Brooke answers the phone and hands it to me.

I'm probably the only person in the world who has only ever spoken to her dad on the phone. I don't even know him, but from what I do know he's a lot like me. We both like to read and write.

Lucas seems really nice. He told me to call him if I need anything and said he wants to be there for me.


	5. Chapter 4

**Sam POV:**

I get up in the middle of the night to get a bottle of water. All of the lights are off so Julian and Brooke must have gone to bed. Brooke's house is still unfamiliar to me. I feel my way to the refrigerator blindly trying not to run into anything. I manage to get to the refrigerator without breaking my neck.

I'm on my way back to my room when the phone rings. My first instinct is to answer it before it wakes Brooke and Julian up, but I don't know if I should answer her phone. After a moment's hesitation, I pick up the receiver. Before I can say anything, I hear Brooke's voice. "Hello?" She must have picked up the extension in her bedroom.

"Is this Brooke Davis?"

"Yeah, this is she," Brooke says.

"This is Charlie Bayer with the Tree Hill Times. Is it true that you took a teenager in?"

"No comment," Brooke says in an icy tone.

OK, I know I should have hung up, but I'm kind of glad I didn't. I also know it's rude to eavesdrop, but that doesn't stop me from sitting down outside Brooke's bedroom door and listening to her conversation with Julian.

"Did they find out about the engagement?" Julian asks.

"I wish. They found out about Sam," Brooke replies.

"What are you going to do?" Julian asks.

"I don't know. The reporter just asked if it's true that I took a teenager in. They don't know she's my daughter yet, but it's only a matter of time. Vultures," Brooke says.

I don't need to hear anymore. I've already heard more than enough. When Brooke said nothing to the reporter, she told me all I need to know. She doesn't want anyone to know she has a daughter. She's too embarrassed to admit I exist.

Brooke doesn't really want me. She didn't want me when she was in high school and she doesn't want me now. She only took me in because the judge released me into her custody. It was stupid of me to believe she did want me. No one ever has wanted me. Why would she be any different?

**Brooke POV:**

I slam the receiver down.

"Did they find out about the engagement?" Julian asks.

"I wish. They found out about Sam," I say. I should have known this would happen. I'm used to reporters digging around for the dirt on me. Now that Sam is in my life, she's fair game, too. I want to protect Sam from the reporters, but I know I can't.

"What are you going to do?" Julian asks.

"I don't know. The reporter just asked if it's true that I took a teenager in. They don't know she's my daughter yet, but it's only a matter of time. Vultures," I say. This is all my fault. Sam's only in the limelight because I'm her mom.

I don't know Sam well enough to know how she'll feel if her life is turned into tabloid fodder, but my instinct is that she won't be happy. What teenager would want their family's dirty laundry aired in public for everyone to see?

I remember when Lucas first started playing basketball for the Ravens and the newspaper published a story that said Dan's sons, Nathan and Lucas, inherited his athletic ability. Neither of Dan's sons was happy about the article.

I can't go back to sleep. I toss and turn all night. Finally I give up and go out to the living room to read.

I'm too tired to cook anything so I pour a bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice for Sam. "Sam, breakfast!" She doesn't come out so I knock on her door and open it. "Sam?"

"I'm not hungry," Sam says. "I'm going to take a shower." She pushes past me. I hear the bathroom door slam behind her.

"What's that about?" Julian asks.

"I don't know," I reply.

Julian eats the bowl of cereal I poured for Sam.

Sam finishes getting ready for school and then comes out to the kitchen. "Are you hungry yet?" I ask.

"No," Sam replies.

"You have to eat something," I say.

"I said I'm not hungry!" Sam yells. "I'm going to school."

I grab my car keys. "I'll take you."

"Are you sure? Someone might see you dropping me off," Sam says. She's glaring at me. I guess I should be happy she's looking at me. This is the first time she's made eye contact this morning.

"I'm sure," I say. I wait until we're in the car to ask, "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," Sam replies in a tone that tells me she isn't really fine.

Apparently she's not speaking to me because the rest of the car ride is silent. I don't know what to say to her. I don't understand what happened. I thought everything was going great yesterday. I know Sam's a teenager, but is she supposed to hate me already?

I open my mouth to make one last attempt at talking to her. "Sam-" The passenger car door slams before I can finish my sentence.

Sam's case worker is coming for a home inspection this afternoon. I hope Sam's in a better mood by then.

I don't know what exactly Fern's inspecting. What if she doesn't think I can be a good mom to Sam? Will she approve me if Sam isn't speaking to me?

Fern _has_ to approve me. I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't. I already feel terrible that Sam went through so much because I gave her up. She can't go back to foster care.

**Sam POV:**

Clothes Over Bros opens at 10:00 am. I leave school at 10:00 am and go back to Brooke's house.

I'm in my room packing when Julian appears in the doorway.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" Julian asks.

Crap! I wanted to get my stuff and get out of here when no one was home. What's he doing here in the middle of the day anyway? Shouldn't he be at work?

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I asked you first," Julian says.

"I'm leaving," I say as I continue putting stuff in my bag.

"What happened?" Julian asks.

"I'm going back to foster care," I say.

"You're a lot like Brooke. I told her I loved her and she didn't say it back. She was too scared that she'd get hurt," Julian says.

"Or she was too stupid," I say. I'm not Brooke. Julian told her that he loved her. He wanted her. Brooke doesn't want me. It's different.

"You're leaving because you're scared you'll get hurt. Brooke will do anything for the people she cares about. She won't hurt you," Julian says.

"She already did!" I cry out.

**Brooke POV:**

I'm opening the store with Millie when I get a text from Julian. Apparently Sam's at home instead of at school.

I get back home in record time. I hear Julian and Sam talking and follow the sound of their voices to Sam's room.

"You're leaving because you're scared you'll get hurt. Brooke will do anything for the people she cares about. She won't hurt you," Julian says. What does he mean she's leaving? I see Sam packing her bags.

"She already did!" Sam cries out.

"I'm sorry. I know I hurt you by giving you up. I'm trying to fix things," I say.

Sam looks surprised when she hears my voice. She locks eyes with me. "You can't fix things! You're making things worse!" Sam sounds angry more than anything else, but I can still hear the pain in her voice.

"Sam, I don't understand," I say. All I want to do is wrap my arms around her and comfort her, but I know she'll only push me away.

"I heard you last night," Sam says.

"What did you hear?" I ask. I really don't know what I could have said last night that would have hurt her.

"I heard you on the phone. I heard you talking to Julian. You don't want anyone to know about me." Sam's voice is thick with tears. She shakes her head. "If you didn't want me, you shouldn't have pretended that you did."

"It's not that I don't want you!" I say firmly. It fills me with sadness that my daughter can't believe I really want her. I look in her eyes willing her to believe me. "I was mad at the reporter because I didn't think you would be happy about being in the tabloids."

"OK," Sam says in a barely audible whisper.

"Next time you're upset tell me." I say. Sam nods. I look at her packed bags. I can't believe she was just going to leave without even talking to me. "Now unpack." I want it to look like this is Sam's home when Fern comes so she knows I can give my daughter a good home. Packed bags don't look permanent.

Julian and I go out to the living room while she unpacks.

"Thank goodness you saw her," I say. If he hadn't been here, my daughter would have left. I've only known Sam for a few days, but I know I would miss her terribly if she left.

Julian hugs me and rubs my back comfortingly.

"I'm worried about the inspection," I say.

"You'll get approved," Sam says from her doorway. "Your house is a hell of a lot better than the foster homes I've been in."

I raise my eyebrows. "And yet you'd rather go back to foster care than live in my house?" As much as Sam hates foster care, she must be really angry with me to want to go back. I know apologizing doesn't do anything. I'm going to have to show Sam that I want her and it's going to take a long time for her to believe that.

Sam stares at the floor. I wait for a response, but Sam doesn't say anything. I decide to move on. "I hope Fern doesn't know you left school." I've only had Sam for a few days and I haven't managed to get her to school. Technically I did get her there, but she left so I'm pretty sure it doesn't count. I feel like I failed. If Fern knows we're already having problems, there's no way she'll let me keep Sam.

"She won't," Sam says.

I hope she's right, but I don't know how she can be so sure. I raise my eyebrows and look at her waiting for an explanation.

"The school doesn't call her. The police call her if I'm truant. I haven't missed that much yet," Sam explains. It sounds like she knows what she's talking about. Sam's explanation makes me feel better about the inspection. I'm not as worried about keeping Sam, but now I'm even more worried about Sam. If she knows this much about truancy, she's probably been truant before. My daughter is a juvenile delinquent.

"How do you know?" I ask.

"I know how much you have to miss and I know how much I've missed. It's simple arithmetic." Sam smirks. She's such a smartass. She knows that's not what I meant.

"Sam, have you been truant before?" I demand.

**Sam POV:**

Brooke raises her eyebrows. "And yet you'd rather go back to foster care than live in my house?" Beneath the exasperation in her voice I hear pain.

I stare at the floor. It's not that I'd rather go back to foster care. There's nowhere I'd rather be than with Brooke. She's my mom. I've always wanted her. It's just that I'm not going to stay if she doesn't want me here.

I'd rather leave on my own than wait for her to kick me out. I'm used to people giving up on me. It happens all the time. It's different when your mom gives up on you than when a complete stranger kicks you out, though. It's even worse. I can't tell her any of this.

"I hope Fern doesn't know you left school," Brooke says.

"She won't," I say.

Brooke raises her eyebrows silently asking for an explanation.

"The school doesn't call her. The police call her if I'm truant. I haven't missed that much yet," I explain.

"How do you know?" Brooke asks.

"I know how much you have to miss and I know how much I've missed. It's simple arithmetic." I smirk.

"Sam, have you been truant before?" Brooke demands.

I don't want to answer this question either. I have been truant before, but it wasn't my fault. I was in a really bad foster home for about a year when I was fourteen. Sometimes I couldn't go to school because of black eyes or bruises that I couldn't hide. I missed enough school to be truant. The school reported it to the police. The police contacted Social Services. I got a one-way ticket back to the group home. I'm saved from answering Brooke when the doorbell rings. Fern must be here for the inspection.

"This conversation is not over," Brooke says.

Brooke is a bundle of nerves as she shows Fern around. It makes me laugh. She's usually so confident.

"This is my fiancé, Julian Baker," Brooke says.

"Do you two live together?" Fern asks.

"No. I have to be a good role model for Sam," Brooke replies. I'm trying really hard to keep a straight face right now. Julian spent the night last night. I'm not a complete idiot. I know what they were doing in Brooke's room.

"Which room is Sam's?" Fern asks.

Brooke opens the door to my room. "This is Sam's room."

"Is everything OK?" Brooke asks. Her eyes are filled with fear as she watches Fern look around.

"Your lawyer sent over your medical records, bank statements and references. I still need to interview Sam," Fern says.

Brooke and Julian go back to Brooke's room. Fern and I sit down at the kitchen table.

"How is it going?" Fern asks.

"Fine," I reply. I learned a long time ago not to let anyone know if I really want to stay in a foster home. If my case worker knows I want to stay, she looks at me with such pity when they give up on me. I don't want anyone's pity. If I act like I don't care, it's easier.

"Do you want to stay here?" Fern asks.

I nod. "Yeah."

**Brooke POV:**

I spent about fifteen minutes pacing back and forth in my room while Fern interviewed Sam. Sam just came to get me. I look at Fern as we enter the living room. Her face is impassive. I can't read her expression. The suspense is killing me. I just want to know if I'm going to get approved or not.

"Based on what I've seen, I'm recommending that the judge grants you temporary physical custody of Sam. Everything will be written and made formal tomorrow," Fern says.

I walk Fern out. "Thank you."

Sam goes to her room after Fern leaves. I follow her. "We need to finish our conversation."

"Look, you got approved. It doesn't matter anymore," Sam says.

"It does matter," I say firmly. "No more missing school."

"OK!" Sam looks and sounds thoroughly annoyed.

"I'm going to release a statement to the media. Is there anything specific you want me to say or don't want me to say?" I ask. The last thing I want is for Sam to think I don't want anyone to know about her or don't want her so I need to tell everyone she's my daughter.

The only response I receive is a shrug.

I go back to my room and call one of the few reporters I can actually stand. "My sixteen year old daughter, Samantha Scott, moved in with me."


	6. Chapter 5

**Brooke POV:**

I've had Sam for over a week and things are going great. Or at least they were until today.

I just got a text message from Haley telling me that Tree Hill High School is shut down for the rest of the day because of a threat of violence. I leave Millicent in charge of the store and go to pick Sam up.

I'm surprised how much I worry about Sam already. I still don't know very much about her, but she means so much to me. The radio is reporting the school closure. They say no one has been hurt and the police are looking into the threat, but don't think it's legitimate. My fear fades, but it's still there. I have to see Sam for myself and make sure she's OK.

The school is a zoo. Thousands of teens are outside in the courtyard. Parents are searching frantically for their kids. I don't have to waste a lot of time looking.

The loud sound of a motorcycle captures my attention. I look in the direction of the motorcycle. To my surprise Sam is walking toward the driver. I'm shocked and horrified as I watch my daughter stick her tongue down the driver's throat.

OK, I know I wasn't exactly a virgin when I was Sam's age, but I still don't want some guy all over my sixteen year old daughter. My protective instincts kick in and I storm over to them. I put my hand on Sam's shoulder. "Sam!"

Sam breaks away from the boy. I notice tattoos on the boy's arms and grimace. This boy is every inch the bad boy and I do not want him dating my daughter.

"Your mom?" The boy asks. He's smirking. I want to wipe the smirk off his face.

"Let's say no," Sam retorts. She's blushing and looking at me like I'm the most embarrassing person in the world. I never thought 'd be one of those moms.

"Yeah, I'm her mom," I say.

**Sam POV:**

School closed early. Brooke is still at work so I asked Tom to come pick me up. I haven't gotten to see him much since I moved in with Brooke.

Tom parks his motorcycle. I kiss him. He balances on the seat of his bike and holds my hips.

I feel someone grab me and jump slightly. "Sam!" I know from the voice that it's Brooke. I don't know if I should be relieved that it's not a random person or if my panic level should go up because it's my mom. I can tell from her voice that she's mad before I see her face.

"Your mom?" Tom asks.

"Let's say no," I reply. Brooke is so embarrassing right now. I'm just kissing my boyfriend and she's making a scene in front of everyone! I can feel people staring at me.

"Yeah, I'm her mom," Brooke says.

"What are you doing here?" I ask. Shouldn't she be at work? Does she _ever_ stay at work?

"I'm picking you up," Brooke replies.

"Tom just came to pick me up. We're going to hang out," I say.

"I'm picking you up. Come on. Let's go." Brooke grabs my wrist and drags me to her car.

"Well, can Tom come?" I ask.

"No!" Brooke replies.

**Brooke POV:**

The car ride home is silent. Sam won't talk to me or even look at me. As soon as we get home, she goes to her bedroom and slams the door.

I start to follow her, but stop because I don't know what to do. I don't know how to handle this. I don't know what to do with a rebellious teenager.

I don't like that Sam has a boyfriend at all. I really don't like the looks of Tom. My teenage daughter is dating a tattooed biker. As much as I'd like to lock her up away from him, I know I can't.

When I was her age I was having sex. And then I got pregnant. I really don't want Sam having sex. The thought alone is enough to make me cringe.

We're going to dinner at Haley's tonight. Nathan and Jamie want to meet her. It will give me a chance to talk to Haley. She's a really good mom and a good teacher. She'll know what to do.

**Sam POV:**

I text Tom and tell him to come over. About ten minutes later he comes in through my window. We sit down on my bed.

"We have to be quiet. Brooke said you couldn't come over," I tell him.

"This isn't the way it's supposed to be. Brooke just telling you what to do and you doing it, because why?" Tom asks.

I shrug. I don't know why. I'm not used to people caring what I do. None of my foster parents cared what I did as long as I cleaned their house and babysat their real kids.

"You've been on your own your whole life. You've grown up. You've taken care of yourself," Tom says.

"What do you think I should do?" I ask.

"We can leave. We can go somewhere where no one will find you until you're eighteen," Tom says.

"You would really leave Tree Hill for me?" I ask. I can't believe he would leave Tree Hill for me. He would do anything for me. He's always there for me.

"If it meant getting you out of foster care. Let's just do what it takes so we can be together, OK?" Tom says.

"Or we can just be together now." I smile and kiss him. We start making out.

Most of our clothes are on the floor when I hear a knock on the door. "Sam, can I come in?" Brooke asks. Crap!

"Get out," I tell Tom. I grab my shirt and pull it on.

"Sam?" Brooke says.

I know Tom doesn't have time to get out. "Just hide! Go in the closet!" I hiss. I throw Tom's jeans to him.

**Brooke POV:**

I know Sam's mad. Apparently she's not speaking to me. I asked her if I could come in and she's not answering. "Sam?"

I sigh and open her door anyway. She's standing by her window out of breath. I stare at her and she blushes. I walk over to the window and look out half-expecting to see Tom fleeing. I don't so I turn back to Sam. "What are you doing?" I ask suspiciously.

"Nothing," Sam replies. She's staring at the floor. I know she's lying, but I also know she's not going to confess to whatever she did and we need to leave for Haley's.

"We're going to dinner at Haley's," I say.

"I don't want to go," Sam says.

"They're your family. Haley's husband, Nathan, is Lucas' brother. They have a son, Jamie. They want to get to know you," I say.

**Sam POV:**

This is so weird. Apparently my teacher is my aunt. You know how weird it is when you see a teacher outside of school? You run into a teacher in the grocery store or something and suddenly realize that they actually have a life outside of school. Well, imagine going over to your teacher's house for dinner. It's even weirder.

How long have you known your family? I'm guessing most of you have known your family forever. You know them. You're comfortable around them. I've never met my dad, my uncle, my cousin or my grandparents for that matter. I knew my aunt as my teacher up until today. I've known my mom for less than a month. I don't consider them my family. I don't know them. I don't even want to go to this family dinner, but Brooke's making me go.

Haley opens the door and hugs me. "Hi Sam." Can I just say again how weird this is? My teacher is hugging me. That's not as weird as what happens next.

"This is Nathan," Haley says. Nathan moves closer to me. Is he going to hug me, too? He's a complete stranger. He looks almost as uncomfortable as I am. He shakes my hand instead of hugging me.

"And this is Jamie," Haley says as she puts her arm around a boy who looks close to my age. I stare at Jamie. He looks a lot like Lucas. Granted I'm basing this entirely on the only picture I've ever seen of my dad, the one in his book jacket. Jamie hugs me.

"How old are you?" I ask Jamie.

"Fourteen," Jamie replies.

"I take it getting knocked up in high school runs in the family," I say. The only difference is that Haley and Nathan kept Jamie and Brooke and Lucas gave me up. It's a pretty big difference if you ask me.

Jamie smirks. "You don't know the half of it. Karen got pregnant with Lucas senior year of high school. Grandpa Dan and Nanny Deb had my dad freshman year of college."

I'm trying to wrap my head around this dysfunctional family tree. Karen is Lucas' mom so I guess that makes her my grandmother. Dan is Jamie and my grandfather. And apparently none of them know how to use a condom, but it sounds like I'm the only one who was given up. I guess I should feel special.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I ask.

"No," Jamie replies.

"You should work on that if you want to keep the family tradition alive," I say sarcastically.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Jamie asks.

"Yeah," I reply. I wish Tom were here. It would be slightly more bearable if I had someone who I actually know here with me.

**Brooke POV:**

I borrow Haley so I can talk to her in private. "Sam has a boyfriend. He's covered in tattoos." OK, this is an exaggeration, but I'm in panic mode and the tattoos Tom does have seem way worse than they are. "He has a motorcycle."

"Oh, I remember when Nathan traded the car in for a motorcycle. He got hurt the first day he rode it," Haley says.

"That's not helping!" I say. Now I'm not only worried about my daughter having sex with that boy, but I'm also worried that she'll end up on the side of the road somewhere because she's riding on the back of his motorcycle.

"Sorry. You don't think she rides it, do you?" Haley says.

"I don't know! I don't know anything about my daughter!" I cry out.

"That's not true," Haley says.

"Yes, it is. I don't know what to do. How do I handle this?" I ask. I can hear the desperation in my voice. I'm pathetic. I don't even know how to handle my own daughter.

"You need to talk to her. You need to set some ground rules," Haley says.

**Sam POV:**

We sit down at the table and Haley serves dinner. Everyone starts talking. They're talking about basketball and making references to things I know nothing about. Apparently Nathan used to be in a wheelchair. Either that or it's some kind of joke. He looks fine to me. Family secrets and inside jokes, I guess? I feel like an outsider at this family dinner. I feel like an outsider in this family. I tune out of the conversation and start daydreaming.

"Sam?" Julian's voice drags me back to reality. He's staring at me.

"What?" I ask.

"Get used to the basketball talk. They're all obsessed." Julian grins.

I raise my eyebrows. "And you're not?"

"I was a mathlete in high school. I couldn't make a basket if my life depended on it," Julian says.

I laugh. "High school dork turned Hollywood producer engaged to famous fashion designer. You've come a long way."

"Brooke designed the costumes for _Ravens_-that's Lucas' book-"

"I know. I read it," I say.

"I optioned it and hired Brooke. She made letterman's jackets for all of the actors. She made one for me, too. She couldn't believe I was actually a mathlete instead of a jock," Julian says.

"It's a good thing you guys didn't meet when you were in high school," I say. If they had, Brooke probably wouldn't have given him the time of day. I like Julian. He's easy to talk to. Everything's easier with him. I think it's partially because he didn't give me up. I don't have any residual anger toward him. I know Brooke apologized, but I can't forgive her. Deep down I'm still really mad that she was never there for me when I needed her most.

"You don't think I would have made the cut?" Julian smirks.

"Don't feel bad. I didn't make the cut either," I say.

"It's a good thing for both of us that she's changed," Julian says.

After what has to be the most awkward family dinner in history we go home. I go to my room. I just want some time alone to think. Unfortunately Brooke has other ideas. She knocks and then opens my door. "I want to talk to you."

I nod. It's not like I have a choice, right? I didn't have a choice about the family dinner either. I most certainly didn't have a choice about hanging out with Tom. Since when has Brooke cared what I want?

"I want to know when you're hanging out with Tom. No boys in your bedroom. I don't want Tom in my house without supervision," Brooke says.

I stare at her incredulously. She can't be serious. I'm waiting for her say she's just kidding, but her expression is sober and her tone is serious. I've been hanging out with Tom whenever and wherever I want for nearly a year. And now suddenly Brooke wants everything to change.

"I have a boyfriend that I love. I've spent my whole life in foster care where no one has given a crap about what I want and I guess I just pictured that if I actually got a mom, she actually would, but you don't. You want me to pretend that your family is my family. They're not. You're not." I let all of the frustration that has been building up all day out.

Brooke stares at me in shock. She almost looks like she's just been slapped. The shock fades and she just looks hurt. "I care about what you want, but I can't let you do whatever you want. I didn't have any rules when I was your age. Sometimes I feel like I'd be better off if I never had parents at all."

"You wouldn't be," I say. I don't understand how anyone can say that. I know she wouldn't say that if she hadn't had parents. No foster kid would ever say that no matter how bad their real parents were. Someone is better than no one.

"Sam, I don't want to make the same mistakes my parents did. I want better for you," Brooke says.


	7. Chapter 6

**Sam POV:**

I've been living at Brooke's for almost a month now. It's been going great. I'm still mad that she wasn't there for me when I needed her most, but she's been really good to me since I moved in. School is another story entirely. My life story has been in every gossip magazine. Everyone knows that no one wanted me for fifteen years and Brooke Davis is my mom. Not a day goes by that someone doesn't make a comment. I'm sitting with Jack in the cafeteria trying to ignore everyone.

For once I'm not the hot topic of discussion. Everyone is talking about some basketball player's party that's apparently cancelled. His parents are coming home early. Two girls that have been making my life miserable walk by our table.

"Kevin's party is cancelled. Can we party at your beach house?" Sarah says.

"No. My aunt and uncle are using the beach house," Marissa replies. She looks at me and smiles. I know she's about to make a nasty comment. "Maybe we can party at Sam's house. Oh, wait a minute, it's probably full of unwanted foster freaks."

I know I should ignore them, but I'm getting really sick of this. I open my mouth without thinking. "Actually I have a place we can party." Crap! I didn't mean to say that. I don't have a place we can party. Tom's apartment can only fit about ten people in it and even that would be a tight fit. There's no way in hell Brooke will let me have a party. What the hell am I going to do now?

Fortunately Brooke and Julian are going out tonight. I know Brooke would never let me leave if she were home.

I feel really bad as I take the spare keys she keeps for her store from the kitchen drawer. Her store is the location of the party. I just hope she never finds out about this.

Tom picks me up on his motorcycle and we go to Clothes Over Bros. I give him some money. "Can you get a keg?"

Tom grins cockily. "Of course I can."

Tom leaves and returns with a keg and some plastic cups. Shortly after people from school start showing up. I'm running around trying to make sure nothing gets ruined and cleaning up trash.

"Hey Sam. I have to admit this is pretty cool. I can shop and drink at the same time. My two favorite afterschool activities," Sarah says. She's smiling at me and actually sounds sincere. At least it looks like the party will make things better at school. If Sarah and Marissa back off, it will make my life a lot easier.

"Do you want to play flip cup with us?" Marissa asks. I join a group of kids who are gathered around the cash register playing flip cup. It turns out that I'm really good at flip cup. Sarah and Marissa are impressed. They're acting like we're best friends.

I used to hate girls like Sarah and Marissa whose biggest worry in life was getting home in time for curfew. I was jealous because they had what I always wanted. They were normal. They could just have fun and enjoy high school. Why wouldn't I be jealous? I was the unwanted foster kid who spent each day trying not to get my ass kicked. I hate to admit it, but it's actually kind of nice to just be normal for once. I'm starting to enjoy myself.

**Brooke POV:**

Julian and I are having dinner at Haley's.

"How's everything going with Sam?" Haley asks.

"It's going great," I reply.

"That's great. She's been a different person in school. She's always been a really bright kid, but now she's not skipping class. She seems happy," Haley says. Haley's comment makes me smile. All I want is for Sam to be happy.

My cell phone rings. I look at the caller ID and see that it's Millie. I hit ignore and apologize. I don't want to take a business call during dinner. Millie calls right back, though, and I start to get worried so I answer. "Hello?"

"I'm so sorry to bother you, but there's a problem at the store. The nosy guy across the street called and said he saw someone breaking in," Millie tells me.

The smile fades and a concerned expression replaces it. Julian notices. "What's wrong?"

I put my hand over the speaker. "Someone broke into the store."

"I'll call the police," Nathan says. He stands up and grabs the phone.

Jamie bites his lip. "Dad wait." Nathan pauses with his hand poised to dial. "It's possible that Sam might be having a party at the store."

I stare at Jamie in shock. My illusion of everything going great and Sam being happy with me is shattered. I can't believe she would break into my store and throw a party. I lock eyes with Nathan. "Don't call the police. I'll handle it." I tell Millie the same thing.

Julian gets my jacket for me. I turn to Haley. "So much for dinner. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You should go," Haley says.

"I'm sorry," Jamie says. His voice is full of sincerity.

"I'm not mad at you. I just wish you would have told me earlier," I say.

"I know I should have told you," Jamie admits. "I just didn't want to get Sam in trouble."

**Sam POV:**

I'm in the middle of a game of flip cup when I feel a hand on my wrist. I look up and the grin vanishes from my face. Brooke doesn't even need to say anything. I can tell how pissed off she is just from her expression.

I've pissed off my fair share of foster parents before. I've been screamed at and beat on. I've been kicked out for messing up. Still, none of my foster parents ever looked nearly as mad as Brooke does right now. I know Brooke wouldn't hit me, but I'm more scared of her right now than I've ever been of any of my foster parents and that's really saying something.

"Sam, what the hell are you doing? First of all, you are sixteen years old! Second you are breaking and entering in the place where I work!" The anger is radiating through Brooke's voice as she screams at me.

In the background I hear Julian telling everyone to get out. I can feel people staring at me as they leave. I'm slightly embarrassed, but mostly I just feel terrible for breaking Brooke's trust.

"I'm sorry," I say. I don't know what else I can say. I know sorry won't fix it. I've done stupid things before, but I've never actually felt bad afterward. More often than not I acted out on purpose so I would get kicked out of foster homes I didn't want to be in.

Silently I start picking up plastic cups and throwing them away. I'm trying to fix the damage. Julian starts helping me.

Brooke sits down. Every once in awhile I look at her and then look away quickly. Her expression alternates between furious, hurt, sad and disappointed.

Julian and I finish cleaning up. Brooke hasn't moved. I approach her hesitantly. "The store's clean."

"Cleaning up the mess you made doesn't fix things," Brooke says icily. She may not be screaming anymore, but she sounds every bit as angry.

"I don't really know what to say," I admit.

"I don't either," Brooke says. The anger is gone from her voice, but now her tone is completely flat. I'd prefer anger to emotionless. Emotionless means she doesn't care anymore.

"We should probably take Sam home," Julian says.

The car ride home is filled with silence. I'm too scared to break the silence. I wait until we get home to try again. "I'm really sorry."

"Sam, I am so pissed off right now! Go to your room!" Brooke screams. She won't even talk to me.

I go to my room and shut the door. As soon as I'm alone, I stop fighting back tears. I've only been crying for a few minutes when I hear a knock on my door. I don't even care if Brooke is only coming in to yell at me. I'm just glad that she wants to talk to me. "Come in."

Only it's not Brooke. It's Julian. He steps in and shuts the door behind him. "Sam, are you OK?" He asks. He must have heard me crying.

"Not really," I say as I wipe tears from my eyes. "Did you see the look on her face?" I shake my head. "She's never going to forgive me."

"You know that's not true. She'll forgive you because she loves you no matter what," Julian says.

**Brooke POV:**

I couldn't sleep last night. I was up all night tossing and turning.

I'm so mad at Sam. I thought we were making progress. I thought I could trust her. She didn't just throw a party. She broke into my store. If the police would have shown up, I could have lost her. I only have temporary custody of her. Did she think about that? Does she even care?

I'm sitting at the kitchen counter sipping a cup of coffee when Sam comes out of her room. She keeps her head down and heads to the door. "Where do you think you're going?" I ask.

Sam pauses and turns to face me. "I-"

"Sit down," I say sternly. I point to the kitchen table for emphasis. I sit down across from her. "What the hell were you thinking?" I ask.

"I don't know what I was thinking. It was stupid," Sam says.

"Yeah, it was. Sam, you were breaking and entering in the place where I work. There was underage drinking in my boutique," I say. She stares at the table. "If the police had shown up, I could have lost you!"

"I know," Sam says.

"Sam, you're grounded," I say in what I hope is a firm tone. It's the first time I've ever had to punish my daughter. Strangely enough it feels good. I feel more like a mom than I ever have before. My mother never grounded me. Karen grounded me when I stayed with her. Karen's the closest thing to a mom I had.

**Sam POV:**

"Sam, you're grounded," Brooke says.

I've never been grounded before. I've never actually gotten in trouble for doing something wrong. Usually when my foster parents beat on me, I hadn't done anything wrong. They were just drunk and pissed off. If I actually did something wrong, they always just kicked me out.

I don't know how to react. Deep down I know I deserve to be grounded. I feel bad about what I did. But that doesn't mean I'm not mad. Brooke wasn't my mom for fifteen years. She hasn't earned the right to be my mom. I shouldn't have to listen to her. I'm so mad at her all the time, but I'm too scared that if I tell her how I really feel she'll give up on me again. Why would she keep trying if I tell her I can't forgive her? Instead of telling Brooke how unfair I think she's being, I nod.


	8. Chapter 7

**Sam POV:**

I was grounded for one week. I was under Brooke's watchful eye pretty much twenty-four hours a day for seven days. This is the first time I'm allowed to go out since the party. Tom and I are going to a concert tonight. Peyton gave me the tickets for my birthday.

Brooke knocks on my door and opens it while I'm getting ready. I'm wearing a graphic T-shirt and dark wash skinny jeans.

"Are you excited?" Brooke asks.

"Yeah," I reply.

"I could drive you," She says. She's offered multiple times. I keep telling her Tom can drive.

"Tom's driving," I say.

"Do you know how dangerous motorcycles are?" Brooke asks.

I roll my eyes. "I've been on his motorcycle hundreds of times. I'll be fine."

"Make sure you wear a helmet," Brooke says. She sounds like such a mom. I know she is my mom, but it's still weird for me to have her act like my mom when I didn't have a mom for fifteen years. I've never had anyone telling me to wear a helmet or be safe before. It always makes me roll my eyes because I got by just fine on my own.

"I've missed you," Tom says when I get on the back of his motorcycle. He hasn't seen me since Brooke grounded me.

I smile and wrap my arms around him. I've missed him, too.

Tom gets beers for us. He can pass for twenty-one, but he has a fake ID if he gets carded. He hands me a cup and we find our seats. They're really good seats. The concert is awesome.

Tonight has been pretty close to perfect. I'm grinning like an idiot on the back of Tom's motorcycle with my arms wrapped tight around him. I see a car coming right as us. "Tom!" I yell. He sees the car and swerves out of it's way and into the guardrail. The entire right side of my body hits the guardrail hard. It hurts. The bike comes to a screeching halt and I fly forward. Everything goes black.

**Brooke POV:**

I'm cuddling with Julian on the couch when the phone rings. I answer it. "Hello?"

"Is Samantha Scott your daughter?"

I know this can't be good. I'm filled with dread as I answer. "Yes, she's my daughter."

After the police officer on the other line tells me Sam's in the hospital, I hang up and jump up from the couch. That's the phone call no parent ever wants to get. I've never been this scared before in my entire life. Julian and I get to the hospital as fast as we can.

"I'm looking for my daughter, Samantha Scott," I say.

The doctor tells me Sam lost a lot of blood. They had to seal up several cuts. She's going to be very sore. She's unconscious and they don't know how long it will be before she wakes up.

She's lucky to be alive. I can't believe the doctor actually told me my sixteen year old daughter is lucky to be alive. Teenagers aren't supposed to face life or death situations. They're just kids. I'm supposed to protect her. I failed her.

I have tears in my eyes as I look at my daughter's battered body. The entire right side of her body is covered in cuts and bruises. She went flying off Tom's motorcycle. I should never have let her go with him. I should have insisted on driving her. I should have done more than I did. I can't believe I let this happen.

I've been sitting in a very uncomfortable chair beside Sam's hospital bed for almost twenty-four hours. Julian tried to get me to lie down. He offered to sit with Sam. I can't leave her, though. What if she wakes up and I'm not here?

Then he tried to get me to eat something. He keeps bringing me food. I'm not hungry. I can't eat at a time like this.

Julian finally gave up. He's now sitting beside me sleeping.

"Sam, I need you be OK," I plead with her unconscious body as if she can hear me. I've probably said this twenty times. I know the doctor said she'd be OK. I know this is stupid, but I'm worried she won't wake up. Why hasn't she woken up yet?

I've never seen Sam sick before. She hasn't had so much as a cold since she's been in my life. I'm not prepared for this. I'm not strong enough.

I feel Sam's fingers twitch in my hand. I stand up and stare at her willing her to open her eyes. She slowly opens them and looks around taking in her surroundings. She opens her mouth to speak, but winces in pain and gestures to her throat. I get the cup of water that's been sitting on her beside table for the past day and carefully put the straw in her mouth. She sips gratefully.

"Thank God! Are you OK?" I ask.

"I'm sore." Sam's voice comes out almost as raspy as mine. I wish I could take her pain away. I hate seeing her like this.

"Everything's going to be OK Sweetheart," I say. I cross the room to push the call button. I'm at Sam's side again in two seconds. I do everything in my power to make her more comfortable. I smooth her hair back, brushing a lock out of her face. I fluff her pillows and adjust the blanket.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" The doctor asks when he enters the room.

"She's sore," I answer.

"You're going to be sore," he says.

"Is Tom OK?" Sam asks.

"Tom will be alright. He's in a coma and we were unable to find an emergency contact for him," the doctor says.

"There's no one," Sam says. Her voice is hollow. I know not long ago she wouldn't have had anyone either. I hate myself for not being there for her.

"No parents or relatives?" The doctor asks.

"His dad's in prison. His mom's dead. He has no one. He has nothing," Sam replies. She sounds so bitter. How can a sixteen year old kid be so bitter?

"We'll inform his dad," the doctor says.

"Don't. He wouldn't want you to. His dad's in prison for beating the crap out of him," Sam says.

A police officer comes in after the doctor finishes examining Sam. "I need to ask you a few questions."

"OK," Sam says.

"How much did Tom have to drink last night?" The police officer asks. What? I stare at Sam waiting for her response. I thought it was an accident. If Tom was drinking and driving with my daughter on the back of his motorcycle, he better hope he never wakes up because I will kick his ass. I could have lost my daughter because of him.

Sam stares at the floor and plays with the blanket covering her. "What? No. He wasn't drinking." She's not a good liar.

"You and I both know that's not true. His blood alcohol was over the legal limit," the police officer says.

"He only had a few beers. He wasn't drunk!" Sam says.

"He drank enough that he'll be arrested on DUI charges when he wakes up," the police officer says. Good. I hope he rots in prison. I didn't like him before this. Now I hate him with passion.

Sam looks like she's struggling to make a decision. "He wasn't driving. I was," she says. What is she doing? Whatever I was expecting, it was not this. Her words take me by surprise. I stare at her and know she's lying. It's written all over her face.

It takes me a moment to get over the initial shock. I know I need to say something before she ruins her life, but I can't find words. "Sam…"

"Several witnesses said he was driving. I'll be back if I have any further questions," the police officer says.

I'm trying not to get mad. I remind myself that she's lying in a hospital bed right now and it probably wouldn't look good for me to start screaming my head off at her. I can't help the anger from boiling to the surface, though. "Sam, what the hell are you thinking? First of all, drinking and driving! Second, lying to the police," I say.

"You don't understand!" Sam cries out.

"Make me understand," I say sternly.

"Tom's not like other kids, OK? He doesn't have anyone! I'm all he has. If I can't help him, he could go to jail," Sam says.

"That's where he belongs. He could have killed you!" I say.

"He didn't mean to! You don't know him. He's a good guy," Sam says.

I open my mouth to argue, but shut it when I realize arguing will get me nowhere. My teenage daughter thinks she's in love with a juvenile delinquent that almost killed her. Fortunately the juvenile delinquent will be where he belongs before he can hurt Sam again. I'll be damned if I let him hurt her ever again.


End file.
